The first group blog by school leaders for school leaders, LeaderTalk expresses the voice of the administrator in this era of school reform. (Find LeaderTalk's complete archives prior to Dec. 16, 2008, here.)

We can agree on pedagogy and theoretical constructs but what happens in the classroom when instruction begins is the real test of buy-in and willingness to struggle with change. The question continually on my minds is how, as an administrator, I can support, empower, and encourage the tenacity necessary to change old habits. Recently I have been thinking and reading about math instruction and ran across an article that is an excerpt from the book Treating Children as Mathemiticians by E. Geist. Based on the understanding that Japan and other countries have outpaced the United States in mathematical competencies a ...

Below are key elements of school district mission statements from 14 districts in the NY Metropolitan area. It is the mission of the (Name of school) to develop: active, life-long learners curious, compassionate learners students responsible for their own learning independent learners able to work collaboratively to solve problems creative and critical thinkers develop students' individual strengths, skills, and talents engaging, challenging and personalized learning environments connections to the global community integrity as a core value appreciation of self-worth and individual differences The problem is these wonderful concepts to which these school districts have seemingly dedicated themselves, are not in ...

A few years back, I heard Dr. Robert Brooks speak about motivating the unmotivated student. I enjoyed listening to him and took some notes to help me remember later. Of course, life happened and I moved away and started a new job and forgot about his lecture. While cleaning out some folders recently, I came across those notes and decided to talk about this topic to my staff during a recent inservice day. I am the Director of an alternative school and also the Director of Special Education for several districts. Encountering unmotivated students is not uncommon in my work. ...

Depending on what draft of the NCLB you are looking at, in either 2013 or 2014, all public schools are supposed to have reached 100% proficiency in the areas of Math and English. In 2001, that deadline seemed so far away. Now that it is around the corner, what will happen to the US education system because of it? What are other cultures saying about us going so "test crazy"? It is not uncommon to hear teachers gripe about how they are limited in what they can teach because they have to "teach to the test." Teachers feel cramped by ...

Photo Credit In Tim Irwin's excellent book De-Railed, he investigates six modern CEO's who have experienced major failures of their organizations and their leadership. His purpose is to demonstrate that we can learn from the mistakes of others and avoid their errors. David McCullough unearthed another failed leader in his outstanding biography of Harry Truman. No, not Truman himself, but Thomas Dewey, who ran for President in 1944 and 1948, seemed to embody several of the attributes that Mr. Irwin warned could lead to catastrophe. Irwin mentioned that faltering leaders usually fail on one or more of the following areas: ...

Oh. So now it's a race? I like races. I am a sprinter so I am used to running races. I have been in a lot of them and the more races you have been in the more victories (and the more losses) you earn. The more strategies you can leverage. "The mulberry stump, a hundred yards ahead in the clearing. First one that touches it is the winner. On your mark... get set..." I don't wait for "go". (That's the secret to winning short sprints. You time it just right. You jump the gun-- but you don't get caught!) ...GO!"...

Every year, when the temperature hovers around 10 below zero, we gather all of our marketing resources so that we can enter tourist season with a vengeance. We rehearse our talking points on what sets us apart from the 49 other elementary schools in the district, design fancy brochures, have pencils printed with the school name, and even line up the boots in the hallways. While Minnesota is not really a tourist destination at this time of year, schools are. Every year, on the first Saturday in January following the first full week back to school, we don our school ...

Cross posted on Creative Tension. Five years ago I used Michael Watkins' book, The First 90 Days to help me prepare for my transition into a new principalship and I plan to do the same with my next job. In August, I'll become the High School Principal at the Escola Graduada de São Paulo, or as those of us in the international circuit refer to it, "Graded". Graded is an American international school in Sao Paulo serving the children of host nationals and expatriates. I feel strongly that this book was a main reason that I was able to ...